Dorćol
Belgrade, Serbia
An old, increasingly hip quarter of leafy streets, specialty coffee, wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants. Belgrade at its most relaxed and creative.
Places in Dorćol
- Iva New Balkan Cuisine Chef Vanja Puškar's tasting-menu room reinvents Balkan tradition with modern technique and local produce. The flagship of Belgrade's new cooking.
- Koffein A dependable specialty-coffee stop in leafy Dorćol, popular with the neighbourhood's creative crowd. Good coffee, easy mood.
- Rakia Bar A bar devoted to rakija, Serbia's fierce fruit brandy, with dozens to taste and someone to guide you. An education in the national drink.
Practical notes for Belgrade
- Best time to visit
- May, June and September for warm weather and the river terraces. Summer nights power the splavovi (river clubs); winters are cold but the kafanas are cosy.
- Getting around
- Buses and trams cover the city, but the centre and Stari Grad are walkable, if hilly. Ride-hailing and taxis are cheap. The new waterfront and Ada Ciganlija lake are easy add-ons in summer.
- Currency
- Serbian Dinar (дин)
- Language
- Serbian. English is widely spoken by younger locals.
- Timezone
- CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer)
- Current trends
- A new-wave Serbian dining scene modernising kafana traditions; a serious craft-cocktail movement; the river splavovi evolving from turbo-folk to techno; and specialty coffee taking hold in Dorćol and Savamala.
Other neighborhoods in Belgrade
- Stari Grad (Old Town) — The historic core running from Knez Mihailova to the Kalemegdan fortress, home to the main sights, museums and grand cafés. The city's walkable heart.
- Skadarlija — The bohemian cobbled quarter of 19th-century kafanas with live folk music and hearty Serbian food. Touristy but genuinely atmospheric.
- Savamala — A former industrial riverside district turned nightlife and arts hub, gritty and creative. The edgier side of Belgrade's evenings.
- Sava riverfront (Splavovi) — The floating clubs and bars strung along the rivers, the engine of the city's legendary summer nightlife. Party until sunrise on the water.
Read the full Belgrade guide